"I can't believe he did that! That's...that's messed up!" Yang looked for all the world like she might punch a hole in the wall of the hotel. She paced, back and forth, and just watching her set Weiss on edge.

She looked away. "He...wasn't wrong, though."

"Wh - no, don't say that. Listen, we'll talk to Ironwood. He can -"

"No! No, Yang. I don't want...to talk to Ironwood about it. I don't want to change it." She sighed. "My father...isn't an enemy we can afford to have right now. If he wants to ignore me and focus on the company, then that...just makes things easier for us."

Ruby frowned at her. She found she could feel the force of that frown. "You always talked about how much you wanted to do when you owned the SDC, though..."

She took a deep breath, and when she released it she managed a genuine smile. "I did. And there was. But...my father also wasn't wrong. I can't afford to spend the time to learn how to run the company. Not now. Not after...everything we've seen."

Blake had been quiet, a thoughtful frown not moving from her face since they'd left the manor. Now, her eyes flicked to Weiss' face. "I wouldn't have blamed you," she said softly.

"I know. I already knew. But...I'm where I need to be. Thank you, Yang. For being angry on my behalf. But it's all right. Can we attempt to get some sleep? I'd like to be rested for the meeting tomorrow."

Yang grimaced. After a moment, Ruby and Blake – in an oddly coordinated movement – gently guided her to the side. "Come on, Yang. You can vent with us, okay? Weiss doesn't need this right now."

She gave them a grateful smile.

The facility they were to meet Ironwood in, from outside, looked like a completely ordinary government building. Boring, boxy, and uninteresting. Blake would admit she wouldn't have given it a second look.

She reconsidered as they left the elevator on the third basement and passed by the sophisticated workshop and the room filled with racks upon racks of computers. When Winter let them in to the last room in the hallway and she saw the holographic display in the table, she reconsidered further.

"Good. You're here." Ironwood nodded to them as they took their seats. "I'll begin with a briefing on the outcome of the last mission." He leaned forward, a severe look on his face. "I've...begun some efforts at looking into the data we retrieved from the lab."

"You mean Merlot's data." Yang looked like she'd eaten something sour.

The General nodded once. "Thus far, it seems...to be exactly what we expected. It's frighteningly thorough. No actionable data has come of it yet, but I'll update you if it does."

That data could be of use in deciphering the Grimm.

He frowned. "Once we've finished with the analysis, I'm...not necessarily opposed to sharing the data. I do wish to ask for more information about what you learned, as well."

Much was learned. But the data acquired was...dense. For now, all that is confirmed is that the Grimm have grown stronger with time.

"...You're talking about the Grimm as a whole, not individually." Ironwood's eyes were wide. "...That's...not ideal." For a moment, he stared off to the side. Then, with a shake of his head, he recentered. "Understandable. When you have more information, please share it with us."

...Yes.

"Besides the data we retrieved, we've confirmed some theories. Salem obviously had access to the facility at some point, which is worrying. Our estimations of the amount of Spacetime Dust used in the attack on Vale, combined with the records from the lab...it's not likely there is much left, and although they have the knowledge to produce more..."

"...Without Obsidian's power, that knowledge isn't particularly useful, is it?" Weiss asked.

"Correct." He leaned back in his chair, considering. "Overall, until we finish picking through Merlot's notes...we came away from the mission without much actionable intelligence. However...the last recording in the lab was from only two days before our departure from Vale." He frowned.

"Our assumption is that Ironwood's departure was leaked, and that Merlot was pulled from the facility with haste," Winter interjected. "There was no way they believed that control of the lab would go unnoticed for long."

Blake frowned. "Meaning they still have access to information from Atlas."

"My departure was not a tightly-kept secret...but you are still correct. We'll be keeping your undertakings under careful information control."

"Speaking of that...General, do you have any information we can use?" Ruby tapped her knee in thought. "We know that Cinder will be targeting the other maidens, but we don't have much beyond that. If we knew where they were..."

Ironwood frowned. "The Winter Maiden is...secure. Additionally, I don't believe the enemy will strike her now, not so soon after engaging with our forces in Vale. I think it's more likely their eyes will turn to either Mistral or Vacuo, to the Spring or Summer Maidens."

Winter leaned forward, examining the map. "Our information on both is limited. For operational security reasons, only Ozpin and the respective Headmasters knew the identities of their Maidens...and we can't exactly rely on the CCTS to ask questions at this time."

"So we'll have to go in person, then." Yang cracked her knuckles, lips pursed. "Which is in more danger?"

Ironwood shook his head, although he pressed a few keys and pulled up several files before them. Weiss immediately started scrolling through some of the reports. "There's no way of knowing, although I've compiled what we have for you. Mistral...we've been getting some strange reports from there, but they extend further back than the attack on Vale. It could be preparations for a bigger move, or it could simply be a long-term project. Or...perhaps it's nothing, and I'm overreacting. Either way, it wouldn't surprise me if Salem already has agents in place there."

"Vacuo...it's difficult to say. That Kingdom has always been harsh, and if Salem wanted to insert agents she could do it at any time."

"Meaning she may have already." Ruby frowned.

"It's possible. The enemy has...something of a head start, in that regard. They may already be moving in Vacuo; we'd not have much way of knowing."

As they all sat and considered, Blake pursed her lips. "There is...one other thing. I'm not sure it's important, but..."

"What is it?"

"...In the past, the Grimm were...weaker. A lot weaker. People could fight them, even without Aura, and come out on top – sometimes, at least. It wasn't until Obsidian mentioned it that I thought about it, but...if we're wondering what happened to them, that's a route we could investigate."

Ironwood's eyebrows raised. "You believe you can return to the past?"

"The rift was...sort of stabilized, when I passed through it back to now. It's hard to describe, exactly."

With the blade Ruby forged, and the weakness in time already present...such a thing should be possible.

Ruby's eyes sparkled. "That...that makes sense. It wouldn't be able to create new Gates, but...I can see how it could open existing ones..."

Ironwood laced his fingers together. "I see...it is something worth investigating. If you chose to do it now, before the enemy makes any overt moves, I wouldn't blame you. Still, I'd caution you against waiting too long. We'll do everything we can to stymie Salem's movements, but with how overt the attack on Vale was...I expect them to start moving in earnest soon."

Ruby drummed her fingers on her knee again, considering.

The time has come to choose the future.

There's no clean way to do this vote in character, which means it's a meta vote.

The time has come to choose the next major shift in location. The options are threefold:

Mistral - The Eastern Kingdom, home of the Lantern of Knowledge and the Spring Maiden. A very large and diverse Kingdom with a number of different cultures under its umbrella. Lately, attrition has been taking a heavy toll on the Kingdom's Huntsman forces, leaving them thinly spread in their attempts to defend against the Grimm...Neopolitan and Roman Torchwick are currently deployed here, in search of the Spring Maiden. Theme: Organized Crime & Frontier Towns
Major Questlines:
[!] The Spring of Knowledge
[!] Birds of a Feather

Vacuo - The Western Kingdom, sharing a continent with Vale. Mostly deserted wastes, the Kingdom has only a small number of permanent settlements supplemented by a large number of nomadic tribes. With so little permanent infrastructure, the Kingdom could be vulnerable if Salem were to mount a coordinated assault...but until the Maiden is firmly under her control, such an effort is questionable at best. Theme: Nomadic Tribes & Trade Centers
Major Questlines:
[!] Among the Sands
[!] The Endless Oasis

Ciel - The Past Kingdom, located on the lost continent many years ago. When Blake left, the Kingdom was facing the first stirrings of Wilder aggression, and Salem had promised to look into the secrets discovered beneath the Cielan Watchtowers. Of much interest now, given new information on the Grimm, is how they've changed in the time between the past and present... Theme: Racial Tensions & Royalty
Major Questlines:
[!] Bloody Evolution
[!] Heart of the Spire

The time has come to choose. If you have any questions, feel free to tag me in a post.

EDIT: A word of warning to keep in mind.

The enemy gets their own actions as well. The problems you don't address now may become different problems in the future.